Trash container lid system

ABSTRACT

A trash container lid system for placement on top of large industrial trash bins of the type utilized in hotels, apartment houses, etc., in which a lid section counterweighted in the rear portion thereof is slidably and rotatably coupled to a trash bin via a roller in the mid portion of the lid section in a track on the top of the side edges of the trash bin and a roller in the rearward bottom portion of the lid section trapped in an arcuate downwardly extending track so that by sliding the lid to the rear the back track automatically raises the front of the lid section for the deposit of trash therein and upon inverting the trash bin, the lid section automatically falls completely open.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of an application for U.S. LettersPat. filed by ALLAN M. HODGE on Aug. 5, 1974, Ser. No. 494,549 nowabandoned for TRASH CONTAINER LID SYSTEM. An application for U.S.Letters Patent has been filed by ALLAN M. HODGE on Feb. 8, 1973, Ser.No. 330,569, for TRASH CONTAINER LID SYSTEM, now issued at U.S. Pat. No.3,836,036 on Sept. 17, 1974.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a trash container lid system and moreparticularly to a trash container lid system having a stabilizedpartially open position.

According to the invention, a trash container lid system is providedwhich is slidably and rotatably coupled to a trash bin via a first pairof rollers rotatably carried by the lid section in its lower mid portionriding on roller tracks on the top of the side edges of the trashcontainer and a second pair of rollers each roller being trapped in anarcuate downwardly extending roller track extending from the top of theback portion of the trash bin. Hence, when the lid is pushed toward therear of the trash bin and away from the front of the trash bin, it willautomatically tilt until the trapped rollers each reach the end of thein arcuate tracks. In this position, a counterweight located in the rearportion of the lid section holds the lid in open position until afterthe trash has been dumped and the lid pulled toward the front. Upondumping the trash bin in the normal manner when forks on the trash trucklift the entire assembly over the cab of the truck and invert the entiretrash bin, the lid will automatically fall open in a vertical positionsince the top centrally located rollers are not trapped in a rollertrack. This, of course, allows a complete emptying of the trash bin whendesired.

An object of the present invention is the provision of an improved trashcontainer lid system.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a trash containerlid assembly having a stabilized partially opened position.

A further object of the invention is the provision of an improved trashcontainer lid system utilizing a counterweight.

Yet another object of the invention is the provision of a trashcontainer lid assembly requiring a minimum of force in opening andclosing.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of the presentinvention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes betterunderstood by reference to the following detailed description whenconsidered in connection with the accompanying drawings in which likereference numerals designate like parts throughout the Figures thereofand wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention in a closed position;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the embodiment of FIG. 1 in an openposition;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the present invention inverted fordumping; and

FIG. 4 is a back elevational view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 with thelid portion sectioned.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, a lid assembly 11 has a front handle 12and a back counterweight section 13. Lid section 11 is carried by trashbin 14 with front seal 16 and a rearward lip type of seal 17 such asthat disclosed in the above referenced U.S. Pat. No. 3,836,036. Lidsection 11 has a pair of centrally located rollers 18 rotatably carriedby mounting brackets 19 which are fixedly attached to lid section 11.Rollers 18 are carried by horizontal rollers tracks 21. Rear roller 22is rotatably carried by lid section 11 and are trapped within arcuatedownwardly extending roller tracks 23. Horizontal roller tracks 21terminate in a raised portion 20 of the rearward section of the top edgeof trash bin 14.

Referring to FIG. 4, bin 14 is shown disposed beneath lid section 11with rear rollers 22 trapped within downwardly extending arcuate rollertracks 23 which are fixedly attached at the sides of bin 14. A seal isshown at 25 on angle bracket 20A coupled to raised portion 20 (FIGS. 1,2 and 3).

OPERATION

Referring back to FIG. 1, it can be seen that in the closed position,lid section 11 has a front portion seal 16 resting firmly on the topedge of the trash bin 14. A lip seal 17 completes the seal across theentire surface of the side of bin 14. When the handle 12 of lid section11 is raised, back roller 22 begins its descent down arcuate track 23and mid section roller 18 begins rolling along track 21 toward the rear.Roller 18 is kept on the surface of track 21 due to the fact that itacts as a pivot or fulcrum point as the lid section drops guided bytrack 23 and roller 22. The counterweight section 13 renders the liftingforce required on handle 12 very minimal. When roller 18 reaches raisedportion 20 of the top edge of the trash bin 14, the rearward roller 22simultaneously reaches the end of closed roller track 23 and the lid isthen in the position shown in FIG. 2. At this point, counterweightsection 13 is enough to balance the lid section 11 in the positionshown. When it is desired to re-close the lid section 11, handle 12 ismerely pulled in a downward and/or forward direction, again requiringvery little force and the opposite action takes place. Here a forwardstop for roller 18 is not essential because the front portion of lidsection 11 having seal 16 rests on the top edges of trash bin 14.

When the dumping of trash bin 14 is required, the entire unit isinverted via conventional dump trucks and rollers 18 will leave track 21and the entire lid section will hang vertically below trash bin 14,thereby allowing all of the trash to be dumped. In this position rollers22 reach the end of closed track 23 which secure lid section 11 to trashbin 14, and the bottom rear corners of lid section 11 contact angle 20Aof bin 14.

It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing disclosurerelates to only a preferred embodiment of the invention and that it isintended to cover all changes and modifications of the example of theinvention herein chosen, for the purposes of the disclosure, which donot constitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A trash lid container system comprising:atrash bin having a top edge; a lid having a bottom edge dimensioned forcooperation with the top edge of the trash bin; a pair of mountingbrackets attached to and depending from the sides of said lidsubstantially midway between the front and back ends of said sides;first and second rollers rotatably carried by said mounting bracketsattached to said lid; relatively short horizontal first and secondroller tracks on the top edge of opposite sides of said trash binterminating in a raised stop portion and rotatably carrying said firstand second rollers, respectively; a pair of downwardly extending arcuateroller tracks fixedly attached to the back portion of said trash bin;and third and fourth rollers rotatably carried by a back portion of saidlid.Iadd., .Iaddend.said third and fourth rollers being trapped withinsaid pair of downwardly extending arcuate roller tracks, respectively,said first and second rollers forming a slidable pivot for said lidsection to pivot open as it moves rearwardly, when said first and secondrollers engage said raised stop portions of said first and second rollertracks.
 2. The trash lid container system of claim 1 wherein said lidincludes a counterweight adjacent to the rear of said lid operable forholding said lid in a partially open position. .Iadd.
 3. A trash lidcontainer system comprising:a trash bin having a top edge; a lid havinga bottom edge dimensioned for cooperation with the top edge of the trashbin; first and second rollers; means for rotatably mounting said firstand second rollers from the sides of said lid substantially midwaybetween the front and back ends of said sides; relatively shorthorizontal first and second roller tracks on the top edge of oppositesides of said trash bin terminating in a raised stop and rotatablycarrying said first and second rollers, respectively, said first andsecond rollers together with their mounting means and the associatedportion of the lid being unrestricted against vertical movement; a pairof downwardly extending roller tracks fixedly attached to the backportion of said trash bin; third and fourth rollers rotatably carried bya back portion of said lid, said third and fourth rollers being trappedwithin said pair of downwardly extending roller tracks, respectively,said first and second rollers forming a slidable pivot for said lidsection to pivot open as it moves rearwardly, whereby said lid may bepartially opened with minimal force for the depositing of trash whensaid bin is upright; and said system including means to permit said lidto swing completely open for dumping with said lid pivoting about saidthird and fourth rollers in the ends of said tracks near the upper rearcorners of said bin when said bin is inverted for dumping, and said lidmay be partially opened under the control of said first and secondrollers on said first and second tracks and under the control of saidthird and fourth rollers moving in said downwardly extending tracks whensaid bin is upright. .Iaddend. .Iadd.4. A trash bin and lid system asdefined in claim 3 further comprising counterweight means mountedadjacent the rear of said lid. .Iaddend. .Iadd.. A trash bin and lidsystem of the type in which the trash bin is filled when it is in thenormal upright orientation and is dumped by inverting the trash bin,comprising:a trash bin; a lid for said bin, said lid having a top andsides; roller means for supporting said lid on the upper surface of eachof the sides of said bin in the midportion of said lid to permit easyopening of said lid; means for guiding and restraining the rear of saidlid as it is opened, the guiding and restraining means including a pairof rollers extending laterally inwardly from the rear corners of saidsides of said lid, and a pair of downwardly extending tracks secured toupper corners of said bin and encompassing said rollers, for guiding theposition of the rear of said lid as it is partially opened using theroller supporting means while said bin is in the upright orientation;means for stopping the movement of said lid in a partially open positionwhen it is opened in the upright orientation; counterweight meansmounted adjacent the rear of said lid; and said system including meansto permit said lid to swing wide open with said lid pivoting about saidrollers in one end of said tracks and with said roller supporting meansand the stopping means not interacting between the bin and the lid whensaid bin is turned upside down for dumping and said lid may be partiallyopened with minimal force by slidable pivoting movement of said rollermeans for disposing of trash when the trash bin is upright. .Iaddend..Iadd.6. A trash bin and lid system as defined in claim 5 wherein saidstopping means includes an upstanding wall for blocking the movement ofthe roller means for supporting said lid. .Iaddend. .Iadd.7. A trash lidcontainer system comprising: a trash bin having a top edge; a lid havinga bottom edge dimensioned for cooperation with the top edge of the trashbin; first and second rollers; means for rotatably mounting the firstand second rollers from the sides of said lid substantially midwaybetween the front and back ends of said sides; relatively shorthorizontal first and second roller tracks on the top edge of oppositesides of said trash bin terminating in a raised stop and rotatablycarrying said first and second rollers, respectively; said first andsecond rollers together with their mounting means and the associatedportion of the lid being unrestricted against vertical movement, wherebysaid bin may be dumped with the lid completely open when said bin israised and inverted; a pair of downwardly extending roller tracksfixedly attached to the back portion of said trash bin; and third andfourth rollers rotatably carried by a back portion of said lid, saidthird and fourth rollers being trapped within said pair of downwardlyextending roller tracks, respectively, said first and second rollersforming a slidable pivot for said lid section to pivot open as it movesrearwardly, whereby said lid may be partially opened with minimal forcefor the depositing of trash when said bin is upright. .Iaddend. .Iadd.8.A trash lid container system comprising:a trash bin having a top edge; alid having a bottom edge dimensioned for cooperation with the top edgeof the trash bin; first and second rollers; means for rotatably mountingsaid first and second rollers from the sides of said lid substantiallymidway between the front and back ends of said sides; relatively shorthorizontal first and second roller tracks on the top edge of oppositesides of said trash bin, and rotatably carrying said first and secondrollers, respectively, said first and second rollers together with theirmounting means and the associated portion of the lid being unrestrictedagainst vertical movement; a pair of downwardly extending roller tracksfixedly attached to the back portion of said trash bin; third and fourthrollers rotatably carried by a back portion of said lid, said third andfourth rollers being trapped within said pair of downwardly extendingroller tracks, respectively, said first and second rollers forming aslidable pivot for said lid section to pivot open as it movesrearwardly, whereby said lid may be partially opened with minimal forcefor the depositing of trash when; said system including means to permitsaid lid to swing completely open with said lid pivoting about saidthird and fourth rollers in the ends of said tracks near the upper rearcorner of said bin when said bin is inverted for dumping, and said lidmay be partially opened when said lid is upright; and means for stoppingthe movement of said lid in a partially open position when said lid isopened with said bin in the upright orientation. .Iaddend. .Iadd.9. Atrash lid container system as defined in claim 8 wherein the stoppingmeans comprises two upstanding walls for blocking the movement of atleast two of said rollers. .Iaddend. .Iadd.10. A trash lid containersystem comprising:a trash bin having a top edge; a lid having a bottomedge dimensioned for cooperation with the top edge of the trash bin;first and second rollers; means for rotatably mounting said first andsecond rollers from the sides of said lid substantially midway betweenthe front and back ends of said sides; relatively short horizontal firstand second roller tracks on the top edge of opposite sides of said trashbin terminating in a raised stop and rotatably carrying said first andsecond rollers, respectively, said first and second rollers beingunrestricted against vertical movement; a pair of downwardly extendingroller tracks fixedly attached to the back portion of said trash bin;third and fourth rollers rotatably carried by a back portion of saidlid, said third and fourth rollers being trapped within said pair ofdownwardly extending roller tracks, respectively, said first and secondrollers forming a slidable pivot for said lid section to pivot open asit moves rearwardly, whereby said lid may be partially opened withminimal force for the depositing of trash when said bin is upright; andsaid system including means for permitting said lid to swing completelyopen for dumping with said lid pivoting about said third and fourthrollers in the ends of said tracks near the upper rear corners of saidbin when said bin is inverted for dumping, and said lid may be partiallyopened under the control of said first and second rollers on said firstand second tracks and under the control of said third and fourth rollersmoving in said downwardly extending tracks when said bin is upright..Iaddend.